🎬IMPORTANT🎬 Hello! 15 year veteran production sound mixer here. Just a heads up on the BNC cables for the timecode daisy chain. Make sure that you are using 50 ohm cables specifically for timecode and not 75 ohm cables for video or you may experience problems with drift. Love the build! Well done sir!🎉
This is not quite correct. Blackmagicdesign equips all of its devices with 75 ohm connectors. According to BMD customer service, 75 ohm cables work without any problems.
This guy is a beast. My only blame is every time he showcases something I ended up buying it whether I needed it or not. I bet you I already wanted one if those.
@@Jsjsjjssjs you just don't understand, video professionals don't have to know what a 16 dollar ethernet switch is, or a 10 dollar amazon usb switch, that's for cOnSuMeRs that's beneath them and is "makeshift" "DIY" "creativity" when they do anything that LA film school didn't hand feed them from their sponsored curricula.
I'm not an AV expert, but in IT. I use rack systems every day so I was curious. This is the personal hacked together, form & function, perfect device for a common or personal use case, designed from operational experience in mind. It's a brilliant little unit. You managed to keep the price for rigging it up extremely cheap, especially when I compare to IT rack installs. I'm now inspired to rethink my home rack use, where experimenting is easy. I could probably make use of 4U interface at my Workstation desk. I enjoyed learning about AV production side. I'll be checking out your other builds. Thanks Shooter!
you could also add a powercon connector so you don't have a power cable hanging off the back of the case (fits perfectly into the D series slots). You can also loop it through, to add more equipment with another powercon out connector
That’s what I did for a mobile streaming rig using a similar setup to Caleb, but focused more on multi-cam streaming. Got a custom designed d series panel from redco audio, and even added a fan that kicks on if it gets too hot in the box.
I’ve been building custom solutions for my remote recording biz for decades. The D-type panels, the short jumpers, the scotchlok - all so familiar. I would recommend to your audience to use a larger case, both taller and deeper than the actual requirement as you mentioned. What you didn’t mention is heat. (my bad, you mentioned it at the end👏🏽) Remote work takes place wherever and whenever and an air-conditioned room would be the exception rather than the rule. It’s very easy to underestimate the heat buildup resulting from a packed solid rack full of devices which on their own have no problem at all. For your setup, a blank space above the recorders should suffice, so 5 rack space if available. Extra depth not only accommodates wiring but also heat overload. I generally add a minimum of 5” depth to handle both. Nicely done.
In complete agreement with your entire statement, his builds literally starts diy trends inside the film world. Salute and director respect to you Caleb!
Caleb, It's hilarious you published this video just now. The last ATEM Case video you made, inspired me to create one for my church. We setup and tear down each week and I wanted a better and easier way to handle our live stream broadcast. Works perfect! And over the last 3 weeks I've been looking to upgrade our "Stream Kit" to a Rack Unit and fit a few more things in one case. Regarding your v2.0 of the rack, you may already have ventilation in mind, but I found these online which you might be interested in. "AC Infinity CLOUDPLATE T1 Quiet Rack Cooling Fan System (1 RU, Exhaust)" And there is an Intake version too, if you have the space. They seem quiet and effective for moving air in and out of the rack. I really like your 3D print and SSD solution! This is awesome and it has caused me to rethink a few aspects of my build. I may end up doing a similar thing. Question, how difficult would it be to modify the 3D SSD Holders to allow fro screws in the bottom? Like what if I only wanted to fill in half of a 1U with 2 bays.
I have the AC Infinity Exhaust and while effective, it can get pretty loud beyond speed 3. However, it gives me a peace of mind that my rack won't overheat or lag.
Really helpful. No words for how many hours I’ve wasted on timecode cable not connected properly. Going back to basics and double checking against someone else was helpful.
Cool build but I'm not clear on what problem this setup solves.Was there a particular situation you faced in your studio that drove this build? And what are the advantages of this setup - especially when compared to simply using an ATEM Mini with ISO to record the four cameras to a single SSD?
I was actually thinking the same. However, with ATEM Mini ISO series, you're limited to 1080p/60fps so if that's fine, I don't think you're bringing much value with this setup. However, if you want 4K source recording, there's nothing in this pricing range. ATEM TVS series starts at $4.6K for proper 4K support. @grahamkay4034 He's recording at ProRes 422 LT so clearly recording at higher quality wasn't his concern but you do have more quality options with HDS series.
@@grahamkay4034 So ProRes LT is like mid bit rate h.264. ATEM IOS does support up to h.264 70Mbs so it should be comparable to ProRes 422 or even HQ in terms of quality. Where ProRes excels is in editing mode speed as you don’t need to create proxy video.
This is a great setup. I'm not a video guy. I'm an audio guy but I saw the thumbnail and I absolutely respect anyone who creates a great, streamlined rack for what they need to get the job done. Brilliant!
I had always wondered about an easy way to consolidate multi-input recording to intermediate format like this, and it's extremely cathartic to see someone else have the same idea and show that this works, very efficiently too
On the first hyperdeck you can also set Timecode input to internal (take TC from internal generator); if you want to want to start timecode at for example 01:00:00:00 you set the preset tc accordingly and the use Timecode input = Preset (on first hyperdeck)
In terms of heat, you could move the 2U grill in the back to be at the top so as the heat rises up it can vent out the back easier instead of pooling behind that D-series mount
Had the same thought and the cables would be more towards the bottom so a bit less strain. Could even see building in a few small noctuas in the back for extra air movement.
We had a similar rack at my previous job. It was SDI instead of HDMI. I really liked what you did with the SSDs and the switcher. That was really clever.
The only "hacky" element in this build is the USB 3 switcher. If you'd like, I can design a PCB with four (or more) USB A jacks and one micro USB for the original switchers extension button. This way, the kit would be a bit more complete if one should come and maybe someone could make good use of it in a different project. Well done!
Should work together to make that a full product to from the hot swapping of the HDs through to the switching, I’m sure there would be a lot of please that would be interested in buying a completed unit off the shelf, I know I am after seeing how effective this is!
@@kyleford7932 This is a fantastic idea! I've already designed the PCB i mentioned and an enclosure for it. How about collaborating on a GitHub repository or something similar?
Brilliant. I can think of so many case uses. You're calling should have been industrial design. Someone like SmallRig should throw money at you for product design for all things camera. Carts... Recorder box... camera rigs... I've been in the design/art field for nearly 40 years. My favorite people to work with are designer/thinker/problem solvers. You got that.
wow, we have a similar setup in the TV station I'm working in, just a different scale. The only thing I would change is the power strip, a powercon connector would be nice as it would be removable from the back of the case and not a danglie cable.
Also, I'd be concerned about the USB switcher button on the front fascia getting bumped in the middle of a recording and killing all recordings + possibly corrupting files mid-write.
Personally, I'd just buy the HyperDeck Extreme 4k. It inputs 4 cameras and cost the same as the four Studio HD Plus. That device plugs directly into the Multidock 10g with one USB C cable.
@@SimplestUsername I think you are confusing 12G SDI with 4 separate inputs. I looked up the Hyperdeck Extreme 4k as I got excited about the possibility you mentioned. But I found nothing about 4 inputs. I did however, find 12G SDI input and output which is run over 4 parallell SDI connections.
@@toregresdal yeah, I was wrong. On the BMD product page when you select the "HyperDeck Extreme 4k" it takes you to a joint product page with the 8k that shows a rear io containing 4 inputs. It turns out that 4 input rear io is only for the 8k and not the 4k.
16:30 I saw a free slot on your D-mount panel in the back. So there is a possibility to use a powercon connector for your power instead of having it running through a cut out in your backdoor. There are powercons available that are able to be connected while powered.
Pretty good - but the Atem Mini ISO can already record multi-cam out of the box with time codes to SSD (or to hyperdeck) directly up to 8 cameras in parallel with audio full res.
Seems a bit overkill when the ISO models of the ATEMS are out there - all cameras and switch recorded to a single SSD drive with a multicam project in DaVinci. What is the benefit of this setup over the ISO ATEM?
On the atem mini pro iso the bit rate is really low and I rarely end up using the footage. Usually have to resync all my camera footage and since they're not black magic cameras you have to press record on all of them independently
Real good build. That 4 SSD hot-swappable chassis unit is genius. I have something similar but its basically a enterprise grade EPYC NAS video editing and audio recording server over WiFi. The cameras shoots raw streams over the air and its dump to disk or I can realtime convert up to 6K resolutions with 5 cameras.
Nice work this is a beautiful case ! Maybe one little improvment would be to cut the power cord running out of the case and solder the cables to a D-series PowerCon connector, as it seems that you have one extra insert left on your rear panel.
I have seen a similar kind of setup with one of my friend, he does streaming services for small companies, and he uses 3 camera setup, with 2 Atem minis, Allen and heath Sound board, 2 Mac Minis all fitting in a big movable rode case.
this is amazing. also TIL the HD video plus records 4k. WISH I' seen this sooner, i've switched to in-body recording and with that, no time code etc. Next upgrade for me is this exact rig! Thank you
I'm going to build something similar now. Thank you for the awesome idea. Instead of using a USB split to switch to the computer, I think that kind of defeats the purpose of the hot-swap drives, so I can definitely do without that or the atem mini to save a few $$. The best part is, we already record to dual SD cards as redundancy already, so having a main SSD and 2 redundancies for 3 cameras PLUS the 4th drive capturing the stream program out from the switcher will make for very successful shoots. I think the next big thing for this build could be a Taradek Bolt 6 receiver. Then you can have a wireless run-n-gun camera with no delay captured and mixed the same way.
Wow! That rig will really solve many production headaches not to mention the time savings in setup. For my purposes, I would need an 8k version of that. Using your blueprint, I will see if it is possible right now. Thank you so much for showing us your build.
Don't use his blueprint. Just buy one Blackmagic HyperDeck Extreme 8k and one Blackmagic Multidock 10G. The HyperDeck 8k handles four 8k inputs and will output it all the the Multidock through one USB-C cable the use the second USB-C port on the Multidock to run to your PC. This build actually makes no sense. He could have just purchased two HyperDeck Studio HD Pro's and plugged them into a USB C splitter, saved money and simplified everything.
I've been using a rack like this for a long time (12u). I have 8 recorders installed and one device for playing video and an atem Constellation 2/ME. I use an external clock generator for the reference signal. The Constellation HD does not have a ref out (last signal element) but for synchronization I need a ref signal in my streaming computer (I use Decklink Duo 2). My rack has active ventilation (adjustable) with 3x120 mm fans. 6 double hot swap drives for SSD. Including the built-in monitor, my rack is worth a total of ~$13,000
I really appreciate this. Just yesterday i was searching for a rig build to create for a multi cam tv series I’m trying to put together and couldn’t find any information. Thank you so much.
Nice little build. I like such specialized custom things. One Idea: Throw in a USB Ethernet adapter on the hub & switch inside the case, one less wire that needs to go to the PC.
@@neoswallow you're correct, I'm an idiot. I really thought it had 2 inputs. The next closest solution is the HyperDeck Extreme 4k (with 4 inputs) which is a pinch cheaper than four HyperDeck Studio HD + rack mounts, but it won't work with his custom ssd solution so you'd have to purchase the Multidock 10G, or any other 10g USB C solution.
@@SimplestUsername Sorry to disappoint you again. Looks like all HyperDeck models record only 1 video track. One with what seems like 4 inputs is actually 8K model to receive 8K video input not to mention $5k pricing. 12G SDI only support 4K/60 so you would need 4 of them to transmit 8K/60. It seems ATEM ISO models are the only ones capable of recording multiple video tracks at the same time from a single device (from BMD). 😞
nice build. I built a very similar case I went with a slide out 1RU monitor. I used a quad multiview. I decided to got with a POE switch to power the decks and rather then USB I just went with FTP file transfers. I also added a wifi router so it can go wireless. I also used the larger case with wheels. and you are right Fans did help a lot I found some variable speed fans that power with USB so you can adjust the speed for noise
Nice crazy weekend project. But... why!?! Using a usb-c-switch on each harddrive is smart, even syncing the sorderd button, to integrate into your workflow. But the ATEM could timesync each camera (if you use Black Magic camera's), while each camera records directly to usb-drives in optimal codec/resolution. ATEM ISO gives proxies. Sleeve the hdmi/sdi cable run to the camera with an usb-c extension cable of same length, to bring the drives to the desk with the ATEM. So, with 5 (4 camera's + ATEM ISO) usb-c-switches these can be switched to your computer for editing. You could even script a file synchronization task to upload each drive to your NAS to build local cloud... and edit in Resolve. No need for those 4 recorders. Cheaper. Same improved workflow, smaller case.
The whole point of this video was to advertise a bunch of products. Nothing more. "It's not sponsored by but I did get a few thousand dollars worth of free stuff" should be what gives that away.
This is awesome! Could run a simple script on the computer to automatically do an incremental backup of everything on the drive when it mounts, so when you push the button BOOM! Everything captured down the stack.
I love the new direction of your channel and direction in life. It literally took over a conversation with some friends this week. AND this kind of think feels so you. I am a huge fan. keep up the amazing work.
Wow, you have outdone yourself. I had some ideas like this, for self-contained video studio / live streaming setup, but using small PC with PCIe capture card (4k 4channel) instead... to get rid of visible ugly cable mess and also portability
Maybe a key switch. So you can just pull out the key (attached with a cord to the case) and it would be impossible to switch while recording or offloading.
For the cable management I recommend having the 2 banks of recorders have 1U in the middle. That one U can have the D series panel in the back and the ssd in the middle this will also help with the thermals. With this I assume black magic doesnt make mirrored version of the recorders so you can mount either the right or the left ones upside down so all the power cables are in the middle which would make it easy to route them from one place. I am sure you already did this but instead of wiring the recorders as a sideways N wiring it clockwise or counter clockwise will mean you are having to do less crisscross wiring. You can also get those command clips to keep those sdi cables stuck to the back of the switch (with enough slack ofc) and out of the way. This only leaves the usbs and the ethernet cables with the hubs and switches the most cluttered elements, for those there is not much you can do other than getting 12inch superslim patch cables from unifi which make it really easy to route and manage the wires and for the usbs you dont really have an option. The big issue with this approach is your ssd mount can not be deeper than the recorders otherwise it will run into the power cables and you will need to either cut a shelf or come up with a different solution (maybe using the velcro fastners on the pdu) to mount the usb hub and the switch. Lastly for the ups I recommend going with the lithium ion ones which are more expensive but the lead acid battery ones are heavier bigger and have lower power density. I might be wrong about this stuff since I dont work with recording gear but I work with servers and that is how I manage some of my stuff.
Hi Caleb very impressive and it is obvious you have put a lot of thought and effort into this and i would call this the ultimate tool for this type of multi camera recording. But there is a solution that cover most of what this does (HD only) and it is the Atomos Shogun 7. With it you can hook up four cameras and record four seperate streams of ProRes video and at the same time record an iso file with all four streams onto one large SSD. The screen of the Shogun will show all four camera views and you can even do on the run editing by just selecting the camera view by touching the screen and the iso file records the change of view. When you later load the iso file via xml into FCP all the camera switches are there on the time line. Plus you have each cameras stream recorded as a seperate file for back up etc. Not trying to take away what you have created just adding to the possibilities out there. Thanks for great videos.
@@TripleVR Thats a good point, I just wanted people to know that a lot of the functionality described can be had at a lot less price. If you are after multi 4K recording then obviously what Caleb has built is pure genius.
I was about to build something similar. (but way less organized to be honest) I decided to go with a Mac Mini Pro with Softron MovieRecorder Express and a Blackmagic Quad Decklink Card. Doesn’t save you money but cable management 😄 and heat. And the files are ingested right away. I’m curious if I can come anywhere near the reliability I would expect your solution to have
This is so wild! Can't express enough how much we all appreciate you taking the time to put these together. I do have one question on the SSD side though. I totally understand wanting it to be easier by only plugging in one USB-C cable to the computer but wouldn't this also slow down transfer speeds since they're all sharing one port? Also, I found this really cool wire connector kit on Amazon that I've been LOVING lately. Doubles as solder and shrink wrap all in one. It's much faster and it's water sealed as well. Just slip each wire end in and hit it with a heat gun that can melt solder.
I was thinking the same thing but the transfer rate would load share between the drives (bandwidth/four drives). This would apply if you were trying to read/write from all four simultaneously. If one drive is being used, that one drive would have full bandwidth available. I suspect that with this setup the primary purpose would be to transfer from the SSD's to the internal hard drive. If this is the case and he is transferring all four SSD's at the same time then yes the formula above would apply. (bandwidth/four drives) - USB 3.0 is 5,000 Mbps (5000/4=1250Mbps per drive). Of the total available 650MBps, 156MBps would be allocated per drive during the transfer. What would be interesting is getting a better understanding of his workflow. Is he editing directly from all four? Multicam in final cut? or is he transferring to the HD and then editing....This would give us a better picture of performance. Just a thought.....i could be wrong :)
A. your builds are always amazing/creative solutions! Even though I'm not in this world anymore, I still love watching them. B. using a camera as a mic handle is such a wonderful flex, haha.
i would probably need this. at my job with video live streaming we have found another solution because all the work is done from us from the company. But sometimes it happens to me to have gigs where i just do live direction or cameraman and 3rd parties edit. in that case it would be awesome. Plus this build doesn't overstress the flimsy atem mini or the pc since you dont record thru them. i love it i love it i love it it's genius
This is f****ing awesome, great job. We do multiple camera shots and this video is an inspiration, solves so many problems. Not cheap, it´s for professionals, THANK YOU
One small risk item that I would address would be the storage switch. That thing looks *very* easy to press accidentally, and if you did that while recording it would certainly make for a bad time. Maybe the button could be recessed to avoid accidentally pressing it, or you could even put a flip-up cover over it to protect it.
I always watch your episodes and I have no clue why, cause videography is not my thing, but that said you are the McGuyver of UA-cam. Love the creativity and dyi you put in your channel. 10/10 🎉
This is a really cool build. We set up something very similar in our studio for 3 cam + final feed (although taking up a lot more space!). I'm curious as to why you went with the USB switching system rather than just accessing the hyperdecks via FTP? In our system I just installed seperate USBC NVME drives to each deck. A service on a PC somewhere on the network automatically backs the content of each hyperdeck up each night to a NAS for editing and further distribution. We can then clear the drives every couple of weeks or so when they're getting full. Another item that was really helpful was a video router. It allows us to expand the system really easily as we can just consider a device to have an in/out, and "put" it anywhere in the signal chain on the fly. For example, an audio to SDI converter can be switched between multiple decks, or we can add additional monitoring devices that can take their signal from any camera or deck.
This is very nice and infomative video, thank you! I have worked in this industry (corporate/event broadcast) for a few years and hyperdecks are familiar, but that ssd switch trick is very nice. Might use that on a upcoming studio build! 💪🏼
if you think that thing is heavy, wait untill you install the UPS ;). you could go with a larger rack that has casters . it would still keep the setup fairly mobile, well provided you dont have to lift it.
Very cool indeed. If someone wants just HD though then using the ISO recording of the extreme mini pro iso could work easier. However if someone wants 4k recording I don't think you can get cleaner than this. One question though: what's the "ref" inputs/outputs used for on these recorders?
Nice build. Btw a larger USB matrix switcher (or managed switch) can often do the same thing as your setup without all the separate parts and modifications. Not all can do it, but many can. Really simple and there are rackmount variants available.
just name one model. all that stuff from this video does not work for me because i want to switch a SSD between Blackmagic Design Video Assist 12G and Desktop Computer, tried 2 Switches, everything with USB 3.1 and everything in 3.2 USB C
Hey Caleb, another great video. I like the integration of the ATEM mini as well, so much flexibility for all kinds of uses. One note though, I found the emphasis on the hot-swappable SSDs slightly misleading. While the construction and cost saving of the DIY SSD chassis is amazing, and the time saving feature for connecting them to a computer for a file dump is great, I'm not sure this qualifies as hot-swappable. The SD cards on the Hyperdecks are hot-swappable as you can remove them one at a time while recording to swap them and not loose any footage. If you removed one of those SSDs to swap it while recording you would definitely not have the same result.
This is GENIOUS! I need help though. Perhaps amateur -ish, but I am currently using Facecam Pro's for my main cameras - they only have USB-C connections. Is there a way to build a set up like this and run the Facecam Pros to the Black Magic recorders? I totally need this in my life, so help would be greatly appreciated!
You could possibly improve this if you had the space, by having a dock (or usb dongle) added in there, with a usb powerdelivery capable charger added, that way, with one single type-c cable, you could have not only the SSD's on your computer, but also have the computer getting power, connection to that internal LAN (and instead, using the ethernet port out, to connect internet)
🎬IMPORTANT🎬 Hello! 15 year veteran production sound mixer here. Just a heads up on the BNC cables for the timecode daisy chain. Make sure that you are using 50 ohm cables specifically for timecode and not 75 ohm cables for video or you may experience problems with drift. Love the build! Well done sir!🎉
This is not quite correct. Blackmagicdesign equips all of its devices with 75 ohm connectors.
According to BMD customer service, 75 ohm cables work without any problems.
A lot have changed on 15 years
@@user-ji6nb4qf8h You are correct. I transposed the numbers.
@@user-ji6nb4qf8h Oh wow really? Technology keeps advancing!!
thanks for this info. I got the 50 ohms cables like you suggested for timecode.
It’s crazy how creative each of these builds are.
Thank you! They start out simple but usually end up a little over the top ha!
This is literally a standard switcher/recorder, he did nothing new
This guy is a beast. My only blame is every time he showcases something I ended up buying it whether I needed it or not. I bet you I already wanted one if those.
@@Jsjsjjssjs actually he did! simplifying a multi dock and data switch making it extremely versatile
@@Jsjsjjssjs you just don't understand, video professionals don't have to know what a 16 dollar ethernet switch is, or a 10 dollar amazon usb switch, that's for cOnSuMeRs that's beneath them and is "makeshift" "DIY" "creativity" when they do anything that LA film school didn't hand feed them from their sponsored curricula.
I'm not an AV expert, but in IT. I use rack systems every day so I was curious. This is the personal hacked together, form & function, perfect device for a common or personal use case, designed from operational experience in mind.
It's a brilliant little unit. You managed to keep the price for rigging it up extremely cheap, especially when I compare to IT rack installs.
I'm now inspired to rethink my home rack use, where experimenting is easy. I could probably make use of 4U interface at my Workstation desk.
I enjoyed learning about AV production side. I'll be checking out your other builds. Thanks Shooter!
Do I need this? No. Did I watched everything with extreme interest? Hell ya. Nicely done! Another insane build
you could also add a powercon connector so you don't have a power cable hanging off the back of the case (fits perfectly into the D series slots). You can also loop it through, to add more equipment with another powercon out connector
That’s what I did for a mobile streaming rig using a similar setup to Caleb, but focused more on multi-cam streaming. Got a custom designed d series panel from redco audio, and even added a fan that kicks on if it gets too hot in the box.
Genius!
I’ve been building custom solutions for my remote recording biz for decades. The D-type panels, the short jumpers, the scotchlok - all so familiar. I would recommend to your audience to use a larger case, both taller and deeper than the actual requirement as you mentioned. What you didn’t mention is heat. (my bad, you mentioned it at the end👏🏽)
Remote work takes place wherever and whenever and an air-conditioned room would be the exception rather than the rule. It’s very easy to underestimate the heat buildup resulting from a packed solid rack full of devices which on their own have no problem at all. For your setup, a blank space above the recorders should suffice, so 5 rack space if available. Extra depth not only accommodates wiring but also heat overload. I generally add a minimum of 5” depth to handle both.
Nicely done.
Somehow you literally manage to outdo yourself, every time. Well done Caleb.
In complete agreement with your entire statement, his builds literally starts diy trends inside the film world. Salute and director respect to you Caleb!
This is hands down the coolest builds I've seen so far. Wow... just wow!
Caleb,
It's hilarious you published this video just now. The last ATEM Case video you made, inspired me to create one for my church. We setup and tear down each week and I wanted a better and easier way to handle our live stream broadcast. Works perfect! And over the last 3 weeks I've been looking to upgrade our "Stream Kit" to a Rack Unit and fit a few more things in one case.
Regarding your v2.0 of the rack, you may already have ventilation in mind, but I found these online which you might be interested in. "AC Infinity CLOUDPLATE T1 Quiet Rack Cooling Fan System (1 RU, Exhaust)" And there is an Intake version too, if you have the space. They seem quiet and effective for moving air in and out of the rack.
I really like your 3D print and SSD solution! This is awesome and it has caused me to rethink a few aspects of my build. I may end up doing a similar thing.
Question, how difficult would it be to modify the 3D SSD Holders to allow fro screws in the bottom? Like what if I only wanted to fill in half of a 1U with 2 bays.
I have the AC Infinity Exhaust and while effective, it can get pretty loud beyond speed 3. However, it gives me a peace of mind that my rack won't overheat or lag.
Really helpful. No words for how many hours I’ve wasted on timecode cable not connected properly. Going back to basics and double checking against someone else was helpful.
Cool build but I'm not clear on what problem this setup solves.Was there a particular situation you faced in your studio that drove this build? And what are the advantages of this setup - especially when compared to simply using an ATEM Mini with ISO to record the four cameras to a single SSD?
I was actually thinking the same. However, with ATEM Mini ISO series, you're limited to 1080p/60fps so if that's fine, I don't think you're bringing much value with this setup. However, if you want 4K source recording, there's nothing in this pricing range. ATEM TVS series starts at $4.6K for proper 4K support. @grahamkay4034 He's recording at ProRes 422 LT so clearly recording at higher quality wasn't his concern but you do have more quality options with HDS series.
@@grahamkay4034 So ProRes LT is like mid bit rate h.264. ATEM IOS does support up to h.264 70Mbs so it should be comparable to ProRes 422 or even HQ in terms of quality. Where ProRes excels is in editing mode speed as you don’t need to create proxy video.
I'll take back some here. I was thinking 70Mbps as 70MB/s. Yeah, 70Mbs h.264 should only match ProRes 422 LT in terms on quality.
@onocoffee Redundancy. Recording 4 cams to 4 drives means if one fails, there are still 3 left etc. In contrast to recording all cameras to one disk.
I am allready using this system, it's really good ❤
This is a great setup. I'm not a video guy. I'm an audio guy but I saw the thumbnail and I absolutely respect anyone who creates a great, streamlined rack for what they need to get the job done. Brilliant!
I had always wondered about an easy way to consolidate multi-input recording to intermediate format like this, and it's extremely cathartic to see someone else have the same idea and show that this works, very efficiently too
The whole thing is so satisfying to watch, it must be a blast to build. Such a clean design!
This is insane! You've really put something amazing together.
This is literally a standard switcher/recorder, he did nothing new
On the first hyperdeck you can also set Timecode input to internal (take TC from internal generator); if you want to want to start timecode at for example 01:00:00:00 you set the preset tc accordingly and the use Timecode input = Preset (on first hyperdeck)
In terms of heat, you could move the 2U grill in the back to be at the top so as the heat rises up it can vent out the back easier instead of pooling behind that D-series mount
Had the same thought and the cables would be more towards the bottom so a bit less strain. Could even see building in a few small noctuas in the back for extra air movement.
If Blackmagic released a 4K ATEM Mini Pro ISO, it could potentially turn this whole setup into the size of just one of those hyperdecks 🤯
We had a similar rack at my previous job. It was SDI instead of HDMI. I really liked what you did with the SSDs and the switcher. That was really clever.
The only "hacky" element in this build is the USB 3 switcher. If you'd like, I can design a PCB with four (or more) USB A jacks and one micro USB for the original switchers extension button. This way, the kit would be a bit more complete if one should come and maybe someone could make good use of it in a different project. Well done!
Should work together to make that a full product to from the hot swapping of the HDs through to the switching, I’m sure there would be a lot of please that would be interested in buying a completed unit off the shelf, I know I am after seeing how effective this is!
@@kyleford7932 This is a fantastic idea! I've already designed the PCB i mentioned and an enclosure for it. How about collaborating on a GitHub repository or something similar?
Brilliant. I can think of so many case uses. You're calling should have been industrial design. Someone like SmallRig should throw money at you for product design for all things camera. Carts... Recorder box... camera rigs... I've been in the design/art field for nearly 40 years. My favorite people to work with are designer/thinker/problem solvers. You got that.
Muy bueno que alguien se dedique a armar cosas "extravagantes" pero super útiles y lo comparta! Gracias!
wow, we have a similar setup in the TV station I'm working in, just a different scale. The only thing I would change is the power strip, a powercon connector would be nice as it would be removable from the back of the case and not a danglie cable.
Listening to you explain the entire build setup is like sitting infront of a former blackmagic design engineer from back to the future. Kudos man!
Are the USB hubs not bottlenecking the USB-C speeds? Great build 😎
Also, I'd be concerned about the USB switcher button on the front fascia getting bumped in the middle of a recording and killing all recordings + possibly corrupting files mid-write.
Personally, I'd just buy the HyperDeck Extreme 4k. It inputs 4 cameras and cost the same as the four Studio HD Plus. That device plugs directly into the Multidock 10g with one USB C cable.
@@SimplestUsername I think you are confusing 12G SDI with 4 separate inputs. I looked up the Hyperdeck Extreme 4k as I got excited about the possibility you mentioned. But I found nothing about 4 inputs. I did however, find 12G SDI input and output which is run over 4 parallell SDI connections.
@@toregresdal yeah, I was wrong. On the BMD product page when you select the "HyperDeck Extreme 4k" it takes you to a joint product page with the 8k that shows a rear io containing 4 inputs.
It turns out that 4 input rear io is only for the 8k and not the 4k.
16:30 I saw a free slot on your D-mount panel in the back. So there is a possibility to use a powercon connector for your power instead of having it running through a cut out in your backdoor. There are powercons available that are able to be connected while powered.
Pretty good - but the Atem Mini ISO can already record multi-cam out of the box with time codes to SSD (or to hyperdeck) directly up to 8 cameras in parallel with audio full res.
Seems a bit overkill when the ISO models of the ATEMS are out there - all cameras and switch recorded to a single SSD drive with a multicam project in DaVinci. What is the benefit of this setup over the ISO ATEM?
On the atem mini pro iso the bit rate is really low and I rarely end up using the footage. Usually have to resync all my camera footage and since they're not black magic cameras you have to press record on all of them independently
@@FylX99 You can change the bit rates for the ATEM recording.
@@sonnyboo yes but even the max is shit tbh
Ingenious build. I expect nothing less from a DSLR shoot video.
Real good build. That 4 SSD hot-swappable chassis unit is genius.
I have something similar but its basically a enterprise grade EPYC NAS video editing and audio recording server over WiFi. The cameras shoots raw streams over the air and its dump to disk or I can realtime convert up to 6K resolutions with 5 cameras.
Nice work this is a beautiful case ! Maybe one little improvment would be to cut the power cord running out of the case and solder the cables to a D-series PowerCon connector, as it seems that you have one extra insert left on your rear panel.
Awesome rig! We love how you've integrated the MixPre-3 into this setup!
Thank you! LOVE my MixPre-3 even though it’s been updated!
I have seen a similar kind of setup with one of my friend, he does streaming services for small companies, and he uses 3 camera setup, with 2 Atem minis, Allen and heath Sound board, 2 Mac Minis all fitting in a big movable rode case.
I cannot wait for V2. By any chance, do you have an ETA on that build?
this is amazing. also TIL the HD video plus records 4k. WISH I' seen this sooner, i've switched to in-body recording and with that, no time code etc. Next upgrade for me is this exact rig! Thank you
I'm going to build something similar now. Thank you for the awesome idea. Instead of using a USB split to switch to the computer, I think that kind of defeats the purpose of the hot-swap drives, so I can definitely do without that or the atem mini to save a few $$. The best part is, we already record to dual SD cards as redundancy already, so having a main SSD and 2 redundancies for 3 cameras PLUS the 4th drive capturing the stream program out from the switcher will make for very successful shoots.
I think the next big thing for this build could be a Taradek Bolt 6 receiver. Then you can have a wireless run-n-gun camera with no delay captured and mixed the same way.
I just read that the hyperdecks will either record to the SD cards OR the USC drive.
Both cannot be connected at the same time.
Wow! That rig will really solve many production headaches not to mention the time savings in setup. For my purposes, I would need an 8k version of that. Using your blueprint, I will see if it is possible right now. Thank you so much for showing us your build.
Don't use his blueprint. Just buy one Blackmagic HyperDeck Extreme 8k and one Blackmagic Multidock 10G. The HyperDeck 8k handles four 8k inputs and will output it all the the Multidock through one USB-C cable the use the second USB-C port on the Multidock to run to your PC.
This build actually makes no sense. He could have just purchased two HyperDeck
Studio HD Pro's and plugged them into a USB C splitter, saved money and simplified everything.
I've been using a rack like this for a long time (12u). I have 8 recorders installed and one device for playing video and an atem Constellation 2/ME.
I use an external clock generator for the reference signal. The Constellation HD does not have a ref out (last signal element) but for synchronization I need a ref signal in my streaming computer (I use Decklink Duo 2).
My rack has active ventilation (adjustable) with 3x120 mm fans. 6 double hot swap drives for SSD. Including the built-in monitor, my rack is worth a total of ~$13,000
You could run the power through the extra d port
Caleb, this might just be the exact setup I need to launch my live production side of my business. Thanks for the walkthrough!
I really appreciate this. Just yesterday i was searching for a rig build to create for a multi cam tv series I’m trying to put together and couldn’t find any information. Thank you so much.
Nice little build. I like such specialized custom things. One Idea: Throw in a USB Ethernet adapter on the hub & switch inside the case, one less wire that needs to go to the PC.
This build is fantastic 🤯
Thanks so much boss!
@@dslrvideoshooterYou could have just purchased two HyperDeck
Studio HD Pro's and plugged them into a USB C splitter reducing complexity and cost.
@@SimplestUsernameAs far as I can tell, HDS HD Pro still records only 1 video track even though it has 1 HDMI and 1 SDI inputs.
@@neoswallow you're correct, I'm an idiot. I really thought it had 2 inputs.
The next closest solution is the HyperDeck Extreme 4k (with 4 inputs) which is a pinch cheaper than four HyperDeck Studio HD + rack mounts, but it won't work with his custom ssd solution so you'd have to purchase the Multidock 10G, or any other 10g USB C solution.
@@SimplestUsername Sorry to disappoint you again. Looks like all HyperDeck models record only 1 video track. One with what seems like 4 inputs is actually 8K model to receive 8K video input not to mention $5k pricing. 12G SDI only support 4K/60 so you would need 4 of them to transmit 8K/60. It seems ATEM ISO models are the only ones capable of recording multiple video tracks at the same time from a single device (from BMD). 😞
Dude, you are CRAZY and that's a CRAZY in the most respectful way.. Kudos bro! :)
nice build. I built a very similar case I went with a slide out 1RU monitor. I used a quad multiview. I decided to got with a POE switch to power the decks and rather then USB I just went with FTP file transfers. I also added a wifi router so it can go wireless. I also used the larger case with wheels. and you are right Fans did help a lot I found some variable speed fans that power with USB so you can adjust the speed for noise
For someone that does not have blackmagic cameras it is a great setup!
Nice crazy weekend project. But... why!?!
Using a usb-c-switch on each harddrive is smart, even syncing the sorderd button, to integrate into your workflow. But the ATEM could timesync each camera (if you use Black Magic camera's), while each camera records directly to usb-drives in optimal codec/resolution. ATEM ISO gives proxies. Sleeve the hdmi/sdi cable run to the camera with an usb-c extension cable of same length, to bring the drives to the desk with the ATEM. So, with 5 (4 camera's + ATEM ISO) usb-c-switches these can be switched to your computer for editing. You could even script a file synchronization task to upload each drive to your NAS to build local cloud... and edit in Resolve. No need for those 4 recorders. Cheaper. Same improved workflow, smaller case.
The whole point of this video was to advertise a bunch of products. Nothing more. "It's not sponsored by but I did get a few thousand dollars worth of free stuff" should be what gives that away.
This is awesome! Could run a simple script on the computer to automatically do an incremental backup of everything on the drive when it mounts, so when you push the button BOOM! Everything captured down the stack.
I love the new direction of your channel and direction in life. It literally took over a conversation with some friends this week. AND this kind of think feels so you. I am a huge fan. keep up the amazing work.
The creativity is next level!! I love to see it. Thank you for inspiring us
Man !!
I have been a subscriber of your channel since 2016 and I am a fan. However, your content has reached a beast level.
Your video absolutely made my day, mate! I've been searching for this kind of setup for years. Sending love from India! 🇮🇳
I love these builds. I would really love to see multicam live streaming setup with replay features. more for sports events.
Wow, you have outdone yourself. I had some ideas like this, for self-contained video studio / live streaming setup, but using small PC with PCIe capture card (4k 4channel) instead... to get rid of visible ugly cable mess and also portability
Wow that thing is DEEP. But deff needed if you're doing the work. Had to come show another dope creator some love 🙏 Keep at it!!
Very cool! Is there any safety mechanism to prevent your USB switcher (front of the case) from getting bumped/pressed during recording?
Maybe a key switch. So you can just pull out the key (attached with a cord to the case) and it would be impossible to switch while recording or offloading.
This thing is on another level
For the cable management I recommend having the 2 banks of recorders have 1U in the middle. That one U can have the D series panel in the back and the ssd in the middle this will also help with the thermals. With this I assume black magic doesnt make mirrored version of the recorders so you can mount either the right or the left ones upside down so all the power cables are in the middle which would make it easy to route them from one place. I am sure you already did this but instead of wiring the recorders as a sideways N wiring it clockwise or counter clockwise will mean you are having to do less crisscross wiring. You can also get those command clips to keep those sdi cables stuck to the back of the switch (with enough slack ofc) and out of the way. This only leaves the usbs and the ethernet cables with the hubs and switches the most cluttered elements, for those there is not much you can do other than getting 12inch superslim patch cables from unifi which make it really easy to route and manage the wires and for the usbs you dont really have an option.
The big issue with this approach is your ssd mount can not be deeper than the recorders otherwise it will run into the power cables and you will need to either cut a shelf or come up with a different solution (maybe using the velcro fastners on the pdu) to mount the usb hub and the switch.
Lastly for the ups I recommend going with the lithium ion ones which are more expensive but the lead acid battery ones are heavier bigger and have lower power density.
I might be wrong about this stuff since I dont work with recording gear but I work with servers and that is how I manage some of my stuff.
Hi Caleb very impressive and it is obvious you have put a lot of thought and effort into this and i would call this the ultimate tool for this type of multi camera recording. But there is a solution that cover most of what this does (HD only) and it is the Atomos Shogun 7. With it you can hook up four cameras and record four seperate streams of ProRes video and at the same time record an iso file with all four streams onto one large SSD. The screen of the Shogun will show all four camera views and you can even do on the run editing by just selecting the camera view by touching the screen and the iso file records the change of view. When you later load the iso file via xml into FCP all the camera switches are there on the time line. Plus you have each cameras stream recorded as a seperate file for back up etc. Not trying to take away what you have created just adding to the possibilities out there. Thanks for great videos.
This is a 4k recording setup so kind of a moot point you make. Is there a similar device that does all that in 4k?
@@TripleVR Thats a good point, I just wanted people to know that a lot of the functionality described can be had at a lot less price. If you are after multi 4K recording then obviously what Caleb has built is pure genius.
I love that Cyber Power piece. Use it in my switcher rack.
I was about to build something similar. (but way less organized to be honest) I decided to go with a Mac Mini Pro with Softron MovieRecorder Express and a Blackmagic Quad Decklink Card. Doesn’t save you money but cable management 😄 and heat. And the files are ingested right away. I’m curious if I can come anywhere near the reliability I would expect your solution to have
Sheesh, I hope broadcast studios would see this builds!
I just love the camera hand mic
You’re a genius. Thank you for this video. Just incredibly smart and impressive. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
This is not diy anymore. In this way everything is DIY. 😂 really appreciate it
This is so wild! Can't express enough how much we all appreciate you taking the time to put these together.
I do have one question on the SSD side though. I totally understand wanting it to be easier by only plugging in one USB-C cable to the computer but wouldn't this also slow down transfer speeds since they're all sharing one port?
Also, I found this really cool wire connector kit on Amazon that I've been LOVING lately. Doubles as solder and shrink wrap all in one. It's much faster and it's water sealed as well. Just slip each wire end in and hit it with a heat gun that can melt solder.
I was thinking the same thing but the transfer rate would load share between the drives (bandwidth/four drives). This would apply if you were trying to read/write from all four simultaneously. If one drive is being used, that one drive would have full bandwidth available. I suspect that with this setup the primary purpose would be to transfer from the SSD's to the internal hard drive. If this is the case and he is transferring all four SSD's at the same time then yes the formula above would apply. (bandwidth/four drives) - USB 3.0 is 5,000 Mbps (5000/4=1250Mbps per drive). Of the total available 650MBps, 156MBps would be allocated per drive during the transfer. What would be interesting is getting a better understanding of his workflow. Is he editing directly from all four? Multicam in final cut? or is he transferring to the HD and then editing....This would give us a better picture of performance. Just a thought.....i could be wrong :)
A. your builds are always amazing/creative solutions! Even though I'm not in this world anymore, I still love watching them.
B. using a camera as a mic handle is such a wonderful flex, haha.
This is an awesome setup. This must make on-site jobs soooo quick and easy to setup and go.
i would probably need this. at my job with video live streaming we have found another solution because all the work is done from us from the company. But sometimes it happens to me to have gigs where i just do live direction or cameraman and 3rd parties edit. in that case it would be awesome. Plus this build doesn't overstress the flimsy atem mini or the pc since you dont record thru them. i love it i love it i love it it's genius
Great work! I have to stop watching your videos - every time I watch your setups, I end up buying something :) very inspiring. Thank you for sharing
This is f****ing awesome, great job. We do multiple camera shots and this video is an inspiration, solves so many problems. Not cheap, it´s for professionals, THANK YOU
Well done! Looks super professional!
Caleb... I don't know how to say it any other way... I LOVE YOU MAN!!!!!!
Aw thanks Jason!
Incredible. This is incredible.
One small risk item that I would address would be the storage switch. That thing looks *very* easy to press accidentally, and if you did that while recording it would certainly make for a bad time. Maybe the button could be recessed to avoid accidentally pressing it, or you could even put a flip-up cover over it to protect it.
"Finally, yes, I am using a camera as a microphone handle..." what!? How have I never thought of doing that! Brilliant.
man!! you're a legend with this kind of stuff! Love the build!
I always watch your episodes and I have no clue why, cause videography is not my thing, but that said you are the McGuyver of UA-cam. Love the creativity and dyi you put in your channel. 10/10 🎉
This is a really cool build. We set up something very similar in our studio for 3 cam + final feed (although taking up a lot more space!).
I'm curious as to why you went with the USB switching system rather than just accessing the hyperdecks via FTP?
In our system I just installed seperate USBC NVME drives to each deck. A service on a PC somewhere on the network automatically backs the content of each hyperdeck up each night to a NAS for editing and further distribution. We can then clear the drives every couple of weeks or so when they're getting full.
Another item that was really helpful was a video router. It allows us to expand the system really easily as we can just consider a device to have an in/out, and "put" it anywhere in the signal chain on the fly. For example, an audio to SDI converter can be switched between multiple decks, or we can add additional monitoring devices that can take their signal from any camera or deck.
This is very nice and infomative video, thank you! I have worked in this industry (corporate/event broadcast) for a few years and hyperdecks are familiar, but that ssd switch trick is very nice. Might use that on a upcoming studio build! 💪🏼
if you think that thing is heavy, wait untill you install the UPS ;). you could go with a larger rack that has casters . it would still keep the setup fairly mobile, well provided you dont have to lift it.
Bravo Caleb! As always, super nice and informative to watch !!
I am just in awe... this super awesome.
This is awesome - I'm impressed and giving me a lot of ideas about our travel set up for producing conferences
This is insane!!! Caleb this is mind-blowing. This re-shapes my though process for video workflow. I got to reconsider getting a 3D Printer, indeed.
Incredible set up. You've given me so many ideas. Thank you!
You’re a wizard, Caleb!
Very cool indeed. If someone wants just HD though then using the ISO recording of the extreme mini pro iso could work easier. However if someone wants 4k recording I don't think you can get cleaner than this. One question though: what's the "ref" inputs/outputs used for on these recorders?
Have you compared the recording on the ATEM ISO files to those of the HyperDeck? I was really disappointed how compressed the ATEM ISO files are.
Bro, you are on another level!
Nice build. Btw a larger USB matrix switcher (or managed switch) can often do the same thing as your setup without all the separate parts and modifications. Not all can do it, but many can. Really simple and there are rackmount variants available.
just name one model. all that stuff from this video does not work for me because i want to switch a SSD between Blackmagic Design Video Assist 12G and Desktop Computer, tried 2 Switches, everything with USB 3.1 and everything in 3.2 USB C
Sir you are a genius. I am amazed of your ideas.
Hey Caleb, another great video. I like the integration of the ATEM mini as well, so much flexibility for all kinds of uses.
One note though, I found the emphasis on the hot-swappable SSDs slightly misleading. While the construction and cost saving of the DIY SSD chassis is amazing, and the time saving feature for connecting them to a computer for a file dump is great, I'm not sure this qualifies as hot-swappable. The SD cards on the Hyperdecks are hot-swappable as you can remove them one at a time while recording to swap them and not loose any footage. If you removed one of those SSDs to swap it while recording you would definitely not have the same result.
Absolutely genius! Thanks for sharing!
Caleb, you are SO creative! (...and you've made such a huge contribution to the industry and shooters everywhere!)
This is GENIOUS! I need help though. Perhaps amateur -ish, but I am currently using Facecam Pro's for my main cameras - they only have USB-C connections. Is there a way to build a set up like this and run the Facecam Pros to the Black Magic recorders? I totally need this in my life, so help would be greatly appreciated!
You could possibly improve this if you had the space, by having a dock (or usb dongle) added in there, with a usb powerdelivery capable charger added, that way, with one single type-c cable, you could have not only the SSD's on your computer, but also have the computer getting power, connection to that internal LAN (and instead, using the ethernet port out, to connect internet)
The thinking that went it to this and the execution ... fantastic. Also loved hearing how you would iterate on it and make it better. Amazing build
That is pretty freaking awesome. Great build.
Very cool. Have you thought about a usb to Ethernet adapter so that the laptop can connect to the hyperdecks as well?
this is unreal, really awesome stuff
Thanks Miles!